Friday, November 30, 2007

One of the local county teams the Marion Local Flyers defeated Youngstown Ursuline today to win the Division 5 Ohio High School Football Championship....Marion(not to be confused with the city of Marion some 100 miles east)is a township school located about 7 miles south of Grand Lake and 10 miles from Celina. The 20-14 win over the big city Catholic school marks the 4th football championship since 2000...last year they won small school Division 6th, this year as the smallest school in Division 5 they take home the crown again.

Our family interest is twofold...they are local, and the youngest son Hal coaches many of the players in summer High School Baseball....Marion finishes 15 wins 0 loses.

Tomorrow in Division 4, Coldwater(same league as Marion) takes on nationally ranked Youngstown Cardinal Mooney...Mooney stands at 14-0, Coldwater 13-1, their only loss coming to league champion and the smaller Marion Local Flyer Squad.

Another Passing____________Evil Knievel died today at 69....the pop icon of the 70s sure beat the Hell out of his body.....it is amazing he lasted this long...I still remember watching him fail at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.....they still show that one in slow motion, with Evil breaking almost every bone in his body, and surviving.....kind of the pain I have felt of late....can not imagine putting your body through that.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Being a right wing kind of guy, it always amazes me how stupid the Republican Party has become....while our resident American Socialist Party(Democrats) and their "We hate America First" followers refuse to debate on Fox, because of the FNS perceived "right wing bias"....the dupes in the GOP gladly go on the CNN/You Tube debates and become fodder for "plants" in the audience asking simple minded questions that any real conservative would laugh at....sorry to say there are no "real" conservatives in the GOP race and the boys gladly answers questions from a "union moll" claiming to be an independent working mother....and to top that off, CNN takes a "rump ranger" retired full bird and half assed one star reserve General, trying to get the debaters to bite on his bid to let perverts(yes folks, queers are perverts, take it or leave it) come out of the closet and serve in drag....OK, OK, maybe I'm a little overboard there, but really not far off the mark...the goal of the radical fags is to make their perversions seem "normal".....sorry guys, it's not...I could care less what you do behind closed doors, but don't try sticking it in my face The military job is to kill people and win wars, not make some sick statement on society.

Bottom line is, the Republican Party, my former party, is making me sick.....at least with the Democrats, we know they hate us, and hate the country.....they tell you right up front....meanwhile, the GOP keeps throwing shit, and hoping it will stick.

Here is the Fox story on last night's phony debate with photo of Old General Brown Eye himself:

Went and got the MRI at Mercer County Hospital today...about 45 minutes long....and a boat load of "images" to drag off to Fort Wayne next week....lucky for us most of this is covered by insurance....the MRI alone has to be big $....not sure I want to know. Meanwhile the back stays the same.....8 weeks this weekend, so I say it's time to get with the program and see what can be done.

Greenville tomorrow for a couple hours filling in.

Two local teams Coldwater 13-1 and Marion Local 14-0 play tomorrow(Marion), and Saturday(Coldwater) in the state finals in Divisions 4 and 5 respectfully....Coldwater's only loss was early to ML...both play teams from Youngstown....Marion will win I am confident, Coldwater has a much tougher assignment, Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, a team they defeated 2 years ago....a team that hasn't lost since....and is looking for for revenge.

Good Luck to both.....

Big college football weekend as well....Ohio State hoping that either West Virginia(not much chance) or Missouri(fair chance) loses to send them back to the National Championship game in January. If that fails, it's off to Pasadena and the Rose Bowl...not a bad consulation game.

photos{Fox and the rest...Fox may have to much fluff and blondes...but compared to the marxist rot put out by the rest.....it's far and above the best}

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Sitting here on the computer, waiting for the extreme pain of the morning to go away or at least reduce itself enough for me to get myself around. Funny(not really) thing about this type of pain...it starts off in the morning from the time you wake...then usually the different levels arrive. less after you move around, then as the day wears it comes back, depending on the day's activities. No work in Greenville this morning, so got up before Patricia headed off to school, so she could help me get dressed...sad state of affairs, but without her, I would be hours getting enough movement to get around. That's how far I've went downhill the past couple of weeks...from seeming better before the Akron trip to this. But as a line in a long forgotten movie once stated..."pain is what makes you alive"...."Bullshit" is what I say.

Anyway the Ortho gave me a 10 day supply of Celebrex to reduce inflammation....took 2 yesterday, then supposed to take one a day until I go back.....well, that probably ain't gonna happen...it did not help me sleep without pain, yes I slept longer, but still had the pain this morning...so I figure, I might as well go back to the Ibuprofen and a couple of cold ones...less side effects and just as effective, without the chance of the stuff having a reaction.

Anyway off to the MRI in C0ldwater tomorrow.....then wait for another week before heading back to Fort Wayne next Wednesday.

Sam heads for Rhode Island with a RV today.....says he needs the miles, the RV business is a little slow around the Christmas season.

Mike and Me____________

My older(and only) brother Mike is in Columbus this week getting tested for probable stage 2 on the vocal cords.....after breaking his leg almost a year ago down at his Homosassa, Florida, home, he went downhill over the next few months....during his recovery back in Ohio, he has now gotten himself off the 2 pack a day smoke habit(45 years running) cold turkey, and seemed to be turning the corner, until the lost or raspy voice came along.....after foot dragging by the VA(slow but never steady is it's motto), he finally got back in for a look at his vocal problems, and depending on what they see Friday, it appears he probably has stage 2 cancer on the cords....but this is actually better than feared...his daughter, a RN, got him in earlier than they wanted....and it now appears they can do laser to remove the problem....that will come in the 2nd week of December, and as it looks he will be released on December 15th....his 61st birthday.

Doesn't look like Mike will be getting back to Florida for the winter....at least not at this point....

Mike and I grew up in Venice, Florida(although both of us were born in Van Wert, Ohio) from 1953-1963....we were different to say the least, our personalities never did seem the same, we got along, like all siblings, more or less....him being the oldest probably had it's advantages and disadvantages...me, being the 2nd, ahead of 2 younger sisters, never seemed like much of a bargain. We had our battles, him being the oldest, made him king of the hill.....but we never had any serious fights...he would have won(until our post Air Force days, then, there would have been a changing of the guard), but it never came to that...we got along later in life, still two completely different souls with different outlooks on life, God, and activities....Mike was the hunter, I like fishing better, Mike was into fast cars, me, not so much, I liked comfort...he liked to smoke and drink, I settled for beer, an occasional mixed drink or Drambuie.....later on I would discover fine hand rolled cigars...but thankful I never did enjoy the smell of cigarettes...so I never partook. After his divorce 25 years ago, Mike the Telephone installer, moved and lived on the road before finally settling in Homosassa, a Gulf of Mexico berg, about 50 miles north of Tampa...it suited him well, until the back problems from to much travel and too many falls from poles ended his working days....his boat and his house trailer, located on the Homosassa River(100 yards from his watering hole, The Manatee Pub), fit his life style, until health problems set him back a couple of years ago.....Mike is at the crossroads....we will see how this works for him, and the family....he has two daughters in Columbus and 2 granddaughters to think about, plus mom is still in good health, and basically taking care of him...who would think it?...83 year old mother is actually in better condition than 60 year old son.....and if I don't improve, she may have me beat.......

And life goes on.........................

Photos{Mike and me in the late 1950s....next to dad's 100 lb Jew fish at the Venice Jetties...and in 1958 Mike was on the Varsity of the Venice Elks Little League team, I was on the JV of the same squad}

Monday, November 26, 2007

After a quick morning at Greenville...I headed over to Fort Wayne to FWO and checked in with the Orthopedic Surgeon....read the 3 week old X-Rays and basically told me the same thing as the Chiropractor....your 5th(lowest) disk appears to be rubbing bone to bone....Ya Think? Anyway the MRI is scheduled for Thursday at noon in our local hospital in Coldwater....will hand carry those over to Fort Wayne next Wednesday....and begin the path to recovery....always the optimist....yah, right!

The last 2 weeks have been a "trip" with drives to Akron, Columbus, and Wisconsin...now back and forth to Fort Wayne and Greenville....so the walking and apparent recovery have been "set back".

Anyway Thanksgiving in Wisconsin went well...our entire family was there and all of Patricia's family made an appearance.....can't ask for much more than that.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving....the long drive to southeast Wisconsin will get started in the early morning...actually not that long a drive for someone who drives RVs across the country, however the trip through Chicago makes every drive that way seem long.....especially with the back acting up. 340 miles from Celina to Oconomowoc...used to take 6 hours, now between 7 and 8...would be worse if we left tonight....but these days Thanksgiving Day travel is not much quicker....

As far as the back? After the trips to Akron and Columbus last week, it is at it's worse since 1993....the first couple of hours in the morning are bad, although I have been able to sleep, pillow between the knees, for most of the night without excessive pain. Anyway, today I go to the Chiropractor and pick up my X-Rays....Monday when I return from Wisconsin, I head to Fort Wayne Orthopedics and get them looked at....

I'm hoping for a steroid/cortisone shot epidural at the least....that worked 14 years ago and I did not have problems again until this year. We will see what shakes out, I will avoid open back surgery except as a last resort, and only then with a couple of opinions. Being 58 rather than 44 probably makes the options less.

My goal is to lose the 20 pounds(that I've gained this summer and fall) that I've packed on since the back flared up, I stopped lifting weights, and football officiating has ended....never easy during the Christmas season.....I also want to be ready for high school baseball season....my first regular season game is March 31st.....

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Let's get one thing straight, I'm no fan of GW Bush, yes I voted for the guy twice, but look who he was running against? Nuff Said, "Hot Air" Al, and the Swift Boat Traitor......as a Vietnam Veteran, those 2 assclowns are right down there with Billy Bob Klin-toon. Only thing I can imagine being worse is the former first dyke....Hillzilla the Beast.

Of course politics in general, and the Presidential race in particular are in a sad state.....let's look at our choices 11 1/2 months out(what the Hell are we doing running a Presidential race that lasts over 2 years anyway?)....

Hillzilla....Obama Osama...and The Breck Girl on the left

Crazy Ron Paul for the druggie we hate America First crowd....

and the RINOs....McCain, Romney, Rudy......

That leaves us with Huckleberry Hound from Arkansas, Fred Thompson, is he still acting? or running for Prez?, and a cast of stragglers...led by Duncan Hunter and Tommy T from Colorado(if I had to choose, it would be from the last 2, but alas, they have little chance.

So we have this interesting collection:

Hillary-Nuff Said, she's Bill with a pair between her legs, and my guess is, she has a better taste in women than her husband.

Obama=a mostly White kid from Kansas, raised white, pretending to be black...too bad his old man the Muslim Terror supporter headed back to Africa long ago, to die with the natives.....

The Breck Girl John Edwards...a low life Ambulance Chaser who uses his wife's cancer and his son's death to prop up his failed campaign.....

Then we have Mexican Bill Richardson....of course Bill fails to mention his dad was as lily white as me, and he was hardly raised in the Hispanic slums of Albuquerque.

Let's not forget the front running GOP boys....

Rudy....Now there is a RINO....don't get me wrong, I respect his view on terrorists, but not much else...could I vote for him? Only if someone put a gun to my head, and if elected, none of us would be able to own guns anyway....

McCain...War Hero, Political Zero.....his stance and support of illegals has left him D.O.A in the GOP.....

Romney....I could support a Mormon...but Mitt was a big time liberal until he decided to run as a Republican for President...again, I could vote for him, but would have to hold my nose.

Huckabee? Another Arkansas Governor from Hopeless.....? We will see....

For those that can no longer stand either party...there is the Constitution Party....I support 95% of their views, but once again, like Ron Paul, they are apt to Blame American First when it comes to the war on terror......

Monday, November 19, 2007

Another weekend by the board, Ohio State defeats Michigan, Hal home for the holiday break from Wright State, me deciding what to do with my back...etc, pretty much a routine November weekend, the last one before the unofficial "Christmas Holiday" season begins.... between now and early January 2008 we are in the holiday season mode.

Dartball at Rockford Methodist tonight, they are 5 and 1 we are 4 wins 2 loses, me, a lifetime .400 hitter, sitting with a rather pathetic .150 batting average and just 1 run batted in.....I may just keep score tonight, the back that seemed to be getting better, is now back to where it was 5 or 6 weeks ago.....the chance of laser or some other type correction is looking more and more like the risk. Sam will be back from Chicago, so with him and Hal home to help out, I can afford to sit and keep score if needed.

Looks like snow may be on the way for our Wisconsin trip....making the run through the outskirts of Chicago all the more "fun"......we will take it one step at a time though.

Jobs____________

I had mentioned in an earlier post(see August 31, 2007, blog) about the variety of jobs I had been involved in for the past 40+ years...of course my main one, and my college major involved Environmental Health work....I spent 20 years as a Registered Sanitarian and Environmental Health Director with both the Mercer and Van Wert County Health Departments.....Sanitarian is a glorified name for Jack of All Trades when it comes to inspecting various licensed programs for the local and state health departments.

Food establishments, water, sewer, air, rabies, housing, mobile home parks, campgrounds, are among the programs are required to inspect and/or license....in addition you have to be the "yard police"...telling folks to clean the mess the Hell up. For some reason this required a degree in either Biology or Environmental Health and a License to perform the duties.....Bureaucratic Bullshit I called it, but it paid the bills for 20 years, and hey, it was better than busting one's ass. Plus you only spent and hour or 2 in the office, the rest of the day was spent out in the field.

One interesting complaint we received was by a family in Van Wert that were forced out of their home by a "strange gas" smell. The husband ended up in the hospital, and the family claiming no action by the city, called the various news media outlets. Bottom line was, the health department and local safety director were called out....great stuff, we got to dress up like "Men on the Moon" to check out the place(reminded me of the guys in "Ghost Busters"). After checking out the place with all kinds of meters and consulting with the Ohio EPA, we ran some checks and sent samples off to the labs..........about two weeks later, we found out what the strange deadly smell was.....The idiot husband hand mixed ammonia and chemical toilet cleaners and drain cleaners together to clear up the plugged toilet bowl....What a dumbass!

Lucky the whole damn family wasn't wiped out......in 2 decades I can truly say, I met many dip sticks, and this fool was right at the top of the list.

photos{me and Rick McCoy, the Men from Mars, and my RS License, what a bargain for $75 plus 18 hours of classes each year}

Sunday, November 18, 2007

A week that saw me spend two days sitting in conferences in Akron, one day in Columbus at the VA Clinic with brother Mike....and yesterday sitting and watching The Ohio State Buckeyes defeat hated rival Michigan by a 14-3 score.

The sitting, driving, and more sitting has not been kind to my back, as my chiropractor warned me.....the Thanksgiving trip to Oconomowoc this week probably won't help either......I look at laser surgery with an open mind....knowing, if nothing shakes out in the next few weeks, a decision will have to be made.....I won't go on like this unless I have to....I am way to active at my age to go down without looking at options. When I was in my early 40s I was stubborn, and waited out the problem for years, I no longer have the patience to do that...especially with new options to open back surgery.

Back to Greenville for a couple of days Monday and Tuesday, before the Wisconsin trip.

The Snow Bowl 1950__________

Nope, don't remember Michigan's 9-3 win over Ohio State at Columbus in November of 1950....I was only 20 months old, and not quite a fan back then. But even though it was a Buckeye loss, this game is legend in the "Greatest Rivalry in College Sports".

51,000 showed up for this Blizzard Game....and the Anti-War zealots brag about getting 15 or 20 thousand anti-American nutjobs to show up in drag for a rally in DC.....go figure?

Anyway, yesterday's game reminded me of Woody and Bo back in the 1970s when the Rivalry was a Hate-Hate defensive war...the past few years have seen lots of offense, with John Cooper stinking up the game for Ohio State as their coach, going 2 wins 10 losses and 1 tie.....Jim Tressel has changed that the past 7 seasons, going 6 wins only 1 loss, and 5 Big Ten titles, a National Championship and a runners up.

14-3 Buckeyes, with the Defense only giving up 90 yards all day....big mouth Mike Hart, who stuck around for his Senior year, just to beat OSU, should have went pro. Chris "Beanie" Wells went for 220 yards and 2 touchdowns in miserable weather....but DEFENSE was king.

Now being a Buckeye fan is a state of mind....I didn't go to Ohio State....I hung around Athens, Nelsonville(Hocking Tech) and Wright State....the wife has her BA and MA at Wright State, the youngest picks up his BA this winter, and goes for his MA at the same school(or University of Dayton) next fall.....but even while at Ohio University, almost everybody rooted for Ohio State....on OSU-Michigan day back in the 70s, they would move the time of the OU home games, because they knew we all would be sitting in the bars watching Ohio State-Michigan, rather than in the stands watching the Bobcats......yep, you don't need to be a OSU Alumni to root for the Buckeyes....being from Ohio is usually good enough, heck, I've even got buddies from North Dakota and Wisconsin who are hard core Ohio State fans......yes indeed, it is the king of College Rivalries.

Friday, November 16, 2007

The 104th game in the greatest rivalry in college football goes to Ann Arbor, Michigan tomorrow(Saturday)....poll after poll has claimed this to be #1. Auburn vs Alabama, So Cal vs Notre Dame, Georgia vs Tennessee, are all good ones, but for folks in Ohio and Michigan there is no doubt this is the one....a love-hate relationship that goes back to 1897 when they first played. It was a one sided affair for the first 40 or so years, thus Michigan still holds a healthy 57-40-6 advantage. Woody Hayes came to Columbus in 1951 and that changed all of that...Woody, Earle Bruce, and Jim Tressel have all owned the "Team up North" since 1951....the only glitch was a sorry decade plus under John "Chicken" Cooper in the late 1980s and through the 1990s...Cooper came to Ohio State, won a lot of games, but went 2-10-1 against the Wolves.....toss those out(which sorry to say, you can't)...and since Woody in 1951, Ohio State holds a 26-16-1 advantage.

Woody Hayes vs Bo Schembechler was a coaching war.....those two gents made the rivalry the greatest in college football.....

Since 1935 the game has been played on the final Saturday of the regular season......42 times it has decided the Big Ten Championship.....2007 will be no exception. The winner wins the Big 10 outright, and goes to the Rose Bowl(Ohio State still could go to the National Championship if things fall right). Since Jim Tressel took over for Cooper in 2001, OSU has dominated the series winning 5 0f 6....this will probably be Llllloyd(5 l's for loses to Tressel) Carr's final game against Ohio State.

Yesterday we get that scumbag Barry Bonds indicted of steroid use.....one of the bad guys in baseball...this morning I wake up with a pain in my back, another #2 football team(Oregon) losing out on it's opportunity to play for the national championship, and sadly an old acquaintance of mine passes on.

For those that have never heard of Joe Nuxhall, I'll do the short story...."The Ol' Left Hander" as he was called played for 16 years in the majors, 15 of those with the Reds, he was also the color voice of the Reds on radio for over 30 years, teaming with Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Breneman for most of those years, still working part-time this past season. Joe is up for selection in the broadcast wing of the HOF this winter, hopefully they will do the right thing and put Joe in Cooperstown.

Joe was the youngest player ever in Major League Baseball...he pitched his first game on June 14, 1944 with the Reds, and got hammered, giving up 6 runs in less than an inning...Joe was 15 years 10 months and 6 days old....nobody will break that record. In his career, Joe won 135 games lost 117 and had a 3.90 ERA....He also hammered 15 career home runs, he was a pretty good hitting pitcher.

I interviewed Joe on many occasions, drank a few beers with him and Tom Browning(another Reds pitcher, who tossed a perfect game about 20 years ago)....about all I can say about Joe has been said, he was a good man, a good broadcaster, and a tribute to his community of Hamilton, Ohio....God Bless you Joe, Rest in Peace.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Just got back from Akron, a rather productive meeting....Garry and I tasted a few micro brewed beers last night at Barley Corn's Irish Pub in Akron....my old radio buddy Andy, who lives with his wife and sons in Stow, Ohio, joined us for dinner, a good time was had, arguing politics and talking over old gossip and times....I felt fine this morning.....Garry just can't keep up with the old man, he was rather hung over for the start of the 2nd day session...Andy, being the smart one, gave up the alcohol about a year or so ago, and enjoyed his food with water to wash it down.

Just saw Barry Bonds was indicted by a Federal Grand Jury for lying to investigators.....I put Bonds on the same level as the scumbag coach of New England, Bill Bellyache....cheaters with no personality to boot....but hey, the are still one step ahead of the lying, cheating scum we put in the White House for 8 years, Billy Bob Klinton, and the American and Euro Lefties and the press still love this bastard, who sold us down the river to China....so in my humble opinion, as much as I despise Bonds....what he did was not treason, just greed....Klinton the draft dodger and Commander-in-Thief is much worse.

OK, enough of that rant....my back held out for two days, but the ride home was not kind....so I better grab a brandy on the rocks and see if I can ease the pain....off to Columbus tomorrow with brother Mike.....and will present my Ohio State-Michigan pregame report when I return tomorrow evening.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Worked in Greenville this morning, then off to the Chiropractor, last visit until at least after Thanksgiving.....Saturday and Sunday were good days, yesterday not so good, today, painful morning, but better right now.

Will walk up to George's Barber Shop in about an hour...20 minutes each way, twofold I need to walk for the back, and with gas now at $3.15 per gallon, why drive if you can walk? And It looks no better on the horizon....$4 by Christmas? Maybe more before winter ends.

Tomorrow(at 6AM no less) Garry and I head for Akron for a conference workshop concerning succession stuff for non-profit organizations...No Doze required, as well as a couple of cold ones for tomorrow night. Will be back Thursday, then turn around and drive my brother to Columbus(another 120 miles each way) to the VA Clinic....then next week, it's off to Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, to hook up with Patricia's family for Thanksgiving....looks like Hal will go, and maybe Sam(if he's not on a run)...so all 5 of us together....extra motel room required.

All-in-all, the driving and the change in beds over the next 12 days should give my back a workout.....or completely throw it out, and bring my decision to surgery or not-to-surgery to a quicker head.

Looking forward to Saturday...even though Ohio State in no longer #1...Michigan week is a real hate fest....winner takes the outright Big Ten crown and goes to the Rose Bowl....The Buckeyes have won 5 of 6 with Tressel at the helm, and I expect him to out coach Llyod Carr again this year....PREDICTION Ohio State 34 Michigan 13

Monday, November 12, 2007

Yesterday was damp and down right fall like, rained most of the day...Saturday was not bad, except the Ohio State Buckeyes fell to a mediocre Illinois team, knocking the Bucks out of the National Championship game....but as any Ohio State(or Michigan) fan knows....the season rests on Beating Michigan and winning the Big 10, the trip to the Rose Bowl(or BCS) is icing on the seasonal cake. 64 and sunny is on slate for today, with rain by tonight.

Michigan Week is here....Go Bucks!

Working on some new exercises for the back....Saturday was "almost" normal, well as close as I've been in over a month....yesterday with the damp weather was a little worse, but the small workouts I gleaned off the internet seem to be working....tomorrow I make one more trip to the Chiropractor, probably my last, until after Thanksgiving, then I will reevaluate the situation.

Worked in Greenville this morning, and again tomorrow....then time for a haircut. Wednesday and Thursday I will head over to the other side of the state, Akron, for a conference pertaining to my position with residential services...I'm on the Mercer Residential Board of Directors, a non-profit organization serving families and individuals with mental disorders....a project close to home for me and my wife, who has been a Special Education teacher for many years....since we have a daughter, Anissa, with special needs, we try to stay involved as much as possible. Anyway the Executive Director and I are heading east a couple of hundred miles...making it easier, Garry , the director, and I both officiate football and umpire baseball...and have been beer drinking buddies for a number of years, coached baseball with each other and against one another as well.....so I'm sure we will partake in a few on Wednesday night.....will be home late Thursday, then head to Columbus Friday with my brother Mike, who needs his mending broken leg looked at at the VA Clinic down that way......a busy week.

Sam left Saturday night for Ocala, Florida, with a "Toy Hauler"...the photos show the 40 foot front engine Diesel rig....these things go for about $200,000, and have a upper bunk bed, 4 flat screen TVs, and nice stereo system, couple of sleeper couches, kitchen, bath room, and about 15 foot of rear end ramp and storage for motorcycles, ATVs, a Jeep, or whatever you want to haul.......a little pricey for my taste, but folks do but them. Sam will drop that one off around 1 this afternoon, stay with a friend, and fly from Orlando to South Bend......

Off for a walk to the Board Meeting........about 20 minutes each way. Dartball tonight, hopefully I will do better than last week, funny part is though, as bad as we played, we are the only undefeated team(out of 8 in the league) left...just one week into the season.

Friday, November 9, 2007

Worked for an hour or so, filling in at the Honda Satellite plant in Greenville this morning....went out to lunch with Patricia, no school today, but she had work to do with her "no child left behind" stuff, that they now do...like it or not. Plus she came down with a nice sinus infection....ain't the change of weather great....Sam is heading home for an overnight stay...2 RVs delivered to Salt Lake, now a Diesel Toy Hauler is on it's way to Ocala, Florida....he'll stop at home tonight leave tomorrow, drop off Monday and fly into South Bend Tuesday, pick up his car and take a week or so off. Hal will be home Sunday as his finals are about ready to go....one more Quarter at Wright State, then it's on to U of Dayton for his Masters work......The back felt good this morning, but now some hip and leg pain has returned...Ol' well...it's manageable.Veterans_________ Sunday is Veterans Day...Thank a Vet for your freedom._____Today is Vietnam Veteran Memorial Day today....our little Air Force Sky Cop group is in D.C. for the annual reunion, about 300 of our surviving 1000 members plus wives will be there and march Sunday in the parade....I am passing again this year, but if all goes well I will head to Albuquerque, New Mexico next October for the next one......too many things on the table this time, or so I tell myself.http://www.vspa.com/

It's funny, you hear folks talk about Vets and Veterans, almost like we were one big group of gung ho heroes, that marched alike, looked alike, and thought alike....nope, hardly....we are good guys, bad guys, drunks, fighters, lovers, straight, gay, black, white, Hispanic, and Asian...and all in between and mixed. Got along with many, couldn't stand probably an equal amount, and didn't think a second thought about the rest....bottom line, we were and are a mixture of American life and it's people. Some of us got out, some got thrown out, some made it a career, some went on to college, others went back to work in the shops and factories....and sad to say, some went straight to the gutter....about 25% of the so-called homeless population are Vets...but you know what? It wasn't the military that put them there, at least not most....some guys could not handle the military, some thrived on the lifestyle.I joined the Air Force in 1968...Why? Well you see, this was before the lottery numbered draft, and unless you were rich, going off to college, or a self professed "queen"....you were gonna get drafted. My cousin Jack Poling, let the draft take him....and it did, the kid that saved me from drowning down in Englewood, Florida, when we were 11 and 12 years old, well Jack's name can be found on that Wall this weekend, along with 58,000+ plus other names, guys that didn't make it back. My brother Mike's best friend, David "Kim" Deeter, his name is on that wall too.... both Jack and Kim were killed in 1968, the year I decided to join. Mike joined the Air Force at 17.....I went in the week after he was discharged.....no gung ho for the war guy was I, but I was not a draft dodger either...my dad would not have stood for that....and the truth is, I could not have stood myself. Right or wrong, I was going in.....did I like the Air Force? No, Hell no....I was never one to take orders....making me a bad choice for a spit and shine Air Force Security Policeman....but I survived my 4 years, including my year in Vietnam.....and even managed to get an Honorable Discharge...although a certain little scuffle with a Nazi like little First Lt....with 2 months to go...did get me an early out of 6 weeks, and the promised I would not re-enlist....lol, no chance of that for me.Now, would I trade those 4 years, and the places and times I served...No, Hell no, I would not trade one minute(well maybe a couple of those days I would be dry heaving next to a B-52 after a rougher than usual night)....I am proud I served, and proud of those that served with me...even those I disliked as leaders and people in general.The military(although few career guys) run deep in both sides of the family.....during my Genealogy research, I have found at least 16 Civil War Veterans...both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line....one dead at Chickamauga, one wounded at the same place...one missing, one deserted, one joined too young, was booted out, and rejoined 2 years later. One Houseworth died in WW1, another in WW2....my dad, his older brother, and my mom's brother all served in WW2....Uncle Bill DeVore(mom's brother) joined late in the war, fought in the Battle of the Bulge, got frostbite, and ended up being a guard of Nazi leader Goerning, in fact he was one of the guards around the time Goerning did himself in with by poison....dad served stateside as a aircraft mechanic with the new Army Air Force, he served in Colorado, California, and New Castle, Delaware, where he met mom......brother Mike was an Air Force Fire Protection guy, who ended up in Takili, Thailand, after a stint at McDill in Tampa....I ended up a Sky Cop at Dover, Delaware, NhaTrang, Saigon, and Griffiss, NY.....Patricia's dad Bill Callies served in the southeast Pacific region around Guadacanel from 1943-45.We all served, some better than others, but serve we did.....I salute all those both living and passed that did likewise.

{photos..top to bottom...Grave of Maish Houseworth in Waldo, Ohio...Maish joined the Union Army at age 15, was found out and booted, he rejoined at 18, and was Waldo's oldest surviving Civil War Vet when he died during ww2 at age 98....John F. Housworth, my Uncle during WW2, me in my Air Force Cop School mug shot from San Antonio, Texas, My Aunt Eva and her husband Harry Anspaugh a WW2 vet, Dad's old stripes and Army Air Force patch(this are his and original, not repros), Camp Perry Ohio during WW2, and Dad, Stan Houseworth in 1943, home on leave at Scott, Ohio}

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Got out and walked a couple of miles this morning...all in the name of back pain, or lessening of same....will do so again later this afternoon. One thing about back pain/problems(this session is entering it's 2nd month), each day brings something new, and usually revised hope. Folks that never have had them(which included me until the late 1980s) usually have no clue has to how debilitating the problem can be....people who claim a bad back are usually looked at with disdain. But once you suffer from it, whether, like me from an old motorcycle accident(s), a hard working lifestyle, or just just being plain lazy and fat, once you "suffer" from it, you will not look at somebody with back problems the same.

As I had posted earlier when these problems popped up....I suffered from the problem for a 5 or 6 year period back in the 80s and early 90s....then, after being close to open back surgery, one shot of cortisone, ended the problem withing a matter of days....the problems did not reappear(except for a few minor spells) until this spring....then a month ago for some unknown reason they came back with a vengeance.....I have managed to deal with them thus far, with the help of a chiropractor....I'm not a big fan, but the insurance takes care of most of the bills, and the advice and treatments have given me a confidence to withhold any decision on laser or any other kind of back surgery until at least the end of the Christmas holiday season.....and for the most part, things are improving, and with the walking, the weight gain I had noticed has reversed, and starting back on the downward trend.

I've always had a pretty high threshold for pain, and that helps me get through it, along with Patricia, who when the morning aches are rough, helps me put on and tie the foot ware. Despite her overload at school this time of year, she has taken on the brunt of the housework, cooking, etc....I help out when I can...right now I'm taking a break from the housecleaning chores....to rest the back, but I don't sit for too long, and the work is standing and walking rather than sitting, so that helps.....so how is the back? Better than it was 3 weeks ago, not as good as it was this past weekend....the key will be a trip to a conference in Akron(200 miles each way) next Wednesday and back home Thursday, and a trip to the VA Clinic taking my brother next Friday.....then the ride to Wisconsin for Thanksgiving the following week.....that all should test out how far I've come, and a glimpse of what may lie ahead.

Hoosier Transit called yesterday, Shawn, the manager, and dispatcher wanted to know how the back was, and if I was up to taking a quick RV run delivery to Orlando....well it needed to be there by tomorrow, at 1200 miles I declined....not ready for that far a drive in a short period, plus the 120 mile Jeep drive to get the RV, and the plane flight back from Florida....told him I'd call them after Thanksgiving....we will see how it holds up then.

During and after my original back problems, I became pretty involved in weight training...my D.O. at the time was in favor of that type of rehab...I took it up with a pretty good workout schedule, and by the time I was 50 I could bench press 300 lbs...and was doing multiple sets 3 or 4 nights a week....most of the sets I did were back friendly.....even after I quit the local club, I continued to work out at home, but lowered the total weights lifted as I approached the ripe old age of 60(I turn 59 this coming March)....now with this new spell, the weight center sits empty and used only when Sam is home from his RV sessions.....I'm not sure when and if I will start up again...and when I do, it will have to be in a limited form, and the free weights will be a thing of the past....the Weider Gym will have to do.

Enough of that....

Cigars________

This time of year I usually put the cigars away, slow down on the beer drinking....this fall, since I won't be on the RV runs for awhile, and when I do return, not as often....I decided to enjoy cigars, even in the cold weather, and have switched from my usual Miller Lite, used to cool off in the summer, after a baseball double-header, or after officiating a hot weather football game. I'm am getting into the darker and more hearty type brews.....I've tasted about a half dozen different types, from Oktoberfest, to Pumpkin, to Dark Wheat, the Becks, the Killian Red, and my friend Garry's homebrew.....I have not decided on a favorite....but I am bound and determined to find one, or two, or three.....one thing about this type of beer, you don't need or want to drink too many in one sitting.

As far as cigars, I had been buying them at the local "Low Bob's" outlets...but decided to give my old supplier Cigar International an order:

Bought some of my usual, including the infamous CI "Mistakes"...as you can see from the photo, nothing wrong with these beauties, except the hand rolling was a little "off"...they ain't as "purdy" as the regular brand of Torpedo I smoke...but at $1.75 each, as opposed to $4 each....they work and draw just fine for me.....after my work is done inside, I will take a walk, come home and partake in one, with a nice "fall" type brew........

{PHOTOS...the CI Knock Off Mistakes in one of my favorite Humidors, and my old weight lifting station located in the darkest corner of my basement, sitting idle for now}

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Well I go my usual 50% on election day....2 of 3 City Council members win, and 1 of 3 school board members....the bad one appears to be the TAJ MAHAL...aka New County Jail is going to pass....with 100% of almost 11,000 votes in, the yes we want our criminals to have cushy facilities crowd leads by 70 votes....there are 160 provisional votes to count...but I doubt if 117 or so of those will be NO....so it looks like our sales tax will see another increase, and a multi-million $ palace will be built...right next to the county home and the school and workshop for the mentally retarded and handicapped.....since I have a daughter that goes to "Cheryl Ann Workshop", and I'm on the board for Residential Services, this does not sit well...but it appears the voters have spoken, and we will live with it.....

Fall is in the air, and with winds, clouds, and below freezing temps, if feels about right for early November.....my back was feeling pretty good this morning, then "after" the chiropractor worked on it...it feels worse, go figure. Have to say, I am surviving this and hopeful that surgery, laser or otherwise, can be avoided......we will see how the holidays and upcoming travels treat me and it.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

This one is a big Who Cares?....5 running for 3 School (Bored) Board Spots....5 running for 3 City Council Spots.....3 left wing tax and spenders, the guy that sold me my house, who owns a local plumbing and heating shop, and a guy I worked with years ago at Huffy Bikes....toss em' in a hat...and pull 3 names out I say.

Also a State of Ohio issue, voting yes gives money back to the locals for their enforcement of state mandated anti porn material and locations....I know all about state mandates, they killed the local Health Departments with them....so I checked yes on that one.....might as well give the money to Celina and Mercer County as opposed to those diversified shitholes Cleveland and Dayton.....get the Idea I'm in a pissed off mood?

The final issue, my favorite.....a 1/2% sales tax increase to fund a new jail...if that SOB doesn't go down like Monica on bent dick Billy Clinton, I will be both shocked and pissed off even more...."But it's only 1/2%' they(the local commissioners and Deputy Dog the Sheriff )... say, what they don't realize, or don't care is...those 1/2% increases add up. As for the New Jail to replace our old county jail.....instead of 15 cells with the poor low lifes having to live in tiny spaces...we would now give them and the Sheriffs Office new digs at only a few million dollars, funded for 15 years, or until death does us part....the new jail would have 100 spacious cells we could rent out when not full...got news, in a county of 40,000 where the majority of the population is white and German Catholic....we don't need 100 stinking cells...and if we do, something is rotten in Mendon. Anyway, that one got a big NO and I expect it to fail.....if not, what the Hell? What's a few more pennies on my six packs?

OK, got that off my chest....now I can go into my Christian mode, and talk Dartball League.....St Johns Lutheran won all 3 games against Bethany United last night...but we really sucked, especially one team captain and RBI and Batting leader....my back is better, but the left hip is taking the pain, and threw off my shots...at least that's my excuse...went 0 for 9 before hitting a triple and a single my last 2 at bats, giving me a sterling .182 batting average and one RBI...mind you this is from someone who has averaged .423 and 52 RBIs a season the past decade....no wonder I am in a sour mood....

My Cigars came in though, so that helps....Sam is on his 2nd consecutive trip to the Salt Lake City area...flew into Chicago last night, took the bus to Elkhart, picked up another and is in Iowa at this hour...hoping he will make it back by Friday....the wind is kicking up though, which cuts into the gas mph and profit.....

Now I'm feeling much better...but if you think this off year election gets to me...wait until next fall.....it won't be pleasant.

TV_______

Some of my broadcasting was done full time for a few years, but mostly part time on radio, from the years between 1978 and 2002. I did however, manage to get my mug on the boob tube for a few years from 1981 through 1993...doing local news, high school sports play-by-play, and a talk show called Newse7en Magazine on the local Cable Station in Van Wert, Ohio, (town where I was born, and where I worked my last 12 years at the Health Department before retiring)...it was pretty much fluff and slouck. But we had a fan base, especially for sports. As News and Sports Director, it got me into plenty of Sporting Events, including the famous -60 below zero AFC Championship game at Cincinnati vs San Diego in January 1982...where I watched beer in plastic cups freeze to ice in the "heated" press box.

I also got to meet many celebs and interview same....in my years in radio and TV I had interviews with George Bush(one) , Ronald Reagan, and Teddy Kennedy, at Dodge City....Governors of Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, and Kansas, Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas, before he was in Congress, he was an congressional aid back in 1980....and plenty of sports celebs...including Pete Rose(see yesterday's post), Sweet Lou Pinella after the Reds won the World Series in 1990(see photo), my favorite owner Marge Schott of the Reds...the rest of the media hated her, but I didn't, because she was just like me, she said what was on her mind, screw the political correctness....God rest old Marge's soul....(photo is me and Marge in 1994)...Johnny Bench, Pee Wee Reese, Joe Nuxhal, and every swinging jock who played in Cincinnati or Cleveland that you can name in the late 20th century....That's why I do not look up to these folks...because after all, they really are not that much different that you and me......famous yes, but just people...some good, some assholes, but just folks.

{Me doing the weather on Cable 7 about 1990, as you can tell, our graphics back then were not exactly "state of the arts"..and also me and Lou, me and Marge......}

Monday, November 5, 2007

Sitting here listening to XM Radio Channel 164....this is the Old Time Radio channel....everything from Jack Benny, to Gunsmoke, The Shadow, Fibber McGee, Burns and Allen, The Whistler, and a hundred other shows from the 1930s to middle 1950s....before TV became king. Most of it is good stuff, right now I am listening to "The Shadow" from the late 30s with Bob Johnson.Being in Radio for a number of years, early on full time, then for another 20 years part-time, I always enjoyed the old stuff, long before I was in radio, and much before I was even born....makes the $12 a month more than worth it.....then add the college sports, NHL, and any type music from any era pretty well take away any need I have for FM or AM radio.Anyway, the weekend went well...the back is coming around, now the pain is actually in the left hip, yesterday was pretty good, managed to walk about 3 miles in between football games. Today a little sore after my Greenville work, but will get out and walk up town to pay some bills after checking my fantasy football teams and working on this.Ohio State continues to be #1....after falling behind Wisconsin midway through the 3rd quarter, the Buckeyes pulled out the hammer in "Beanie" Wells...and pulled away. They may not win it all, but at this point, they are #1....Oregon should be #2...LSU is the most overrated team in the land at this point...Kansas is the most underrated....one former sports announcer's not-so-humble opinion. As far as the pro game, I'm not a big fan anymore, but I do despise New England, their over hyped quarterback, and that slob of a cheating coach...having said that, they took a big step towards going undefeated(I still don't think they will win it all), Randy Moss is the reason for their overwhelming success.....again opinion, and we know what those are like, and some of us are.Radio_____________I spent many years in radio, full time from 1978-1982, then part time for another 20 years, I still get calls but have pretty much left that part of my life behind. Full time broadcasting was a starving business, I had no trouble getting the jobs I wanted, I always had "the voice" for it...that was important from the early days of radio until the 1980s....not so much now, computerisation, and the wimping of America have made it vogue to have squeaky voice females, and femi voice males on the air.....like the country and society, radio has changed, and not necessarily for the better. I enjoyed my run, but to say I miss it, would be a lie.....I don't miss broadcasting(I also spent 10 years on Cable TV as a news anchor and sports play-by-play guy), anymore than I miss Environmental Health work....times and people change, I admire people who can do the same thing for 35 years and then fade away into retirement, but that was never for me.....actually I was amazed that I spent 20 years as a health department bureaucrat.Enough rambling....60 and windy out today...then a cold spell checks in overnight...the opening week of regular season Dart Ball kicks off tonight.....St Johns Lutheran plays at Bethany United......results tomorrow.

{photos: me interviewing Pete Rose on Cable TV 1986, after his record setting season, First News Job...WIOUKokomo Indiana late 1970s. News Director at KGNO Dodge City Kansas, celebratingKGNO's 50th year of broadcasting in July 1980, The Shadow Knows.....still heard on XM Radio}

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Saturday approaching 12 Noon...damn, the Buckeyes are on the Big Ten Network, and seeing we have Time-Warner, means no TV...will listen on the radio.....the two need to get there act together, guess I could go up town and watch at the Irish Pub with their dish....but I've got better things to do than sit in a bar and spend money watching football.....it's another nice sunny, but cool day, so I'll listen to Ohio State-Wisconsin, walk some for my back, and maybe partake in another cigar later in the afternoon.

Speaking of Cigars...took a couple of cigar related photos outback yesterday...a couple of portraits of a good MI Torpedo, my old St. Johns Leather Coat.....and a cold bottle of Becks Dark.

Mersman was one of the largest table and furniture manufactures in the world...especially popular during the depression years, you can still find Mersman Tables on E-Bay and at auctions throughout the nation.....some bringing good value.

Mersman(which closed in the early 1990s) was/is located in Celina, Ohio, on the west side of Celina, and was Celina's largest employer for much of the 20th Century....Mersman and the Huffy Bicycle plant were the life blood of the Celina economy. Today both are sadly, gone. Well almost gone, Huffy has been transformed into a Crown affiliate that makes tow moters and forklifts...Mersman meanwhile sits in a ghostly manner right across the street from my house....the buildings are slowly coming down with grant monies and EPA direction....it will be a few years before it comes down...then the property is slated to house a pregnancy center for women in need, also on the plans are some so-called "middle income" and senior citizen housing...code words for Welfare Central. The later have been put on hold....myself, I will miss the old eye sore....will it increase my property value? Probably, but I don't plan on moving in this life time....so the thing I see are increased property taxes.....

Anyway the old buildings make for some interesting photos taken from my garage and driveway.....